AshLee and Sean by Lake Louise on the Feb. 5 episode. / David Gray, ABC

by Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

by Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

He went to the homes of Desiree, Catherine, AshLee and Lindsay and met moms, dads, brothers, sisters and dogs. He asked for blessings from dads in case he wants to propose. He told moms he was "crazy" about their daughters. He was grilled by sisters and called out by a brother.

Here's how it went:

First up: AshLee in Houston. "This is the moment I've been waiting for!" she says. "Before I met Sean, I thought I knew what love was, but I had no clue what real true love was."

She's out walking her little dog when Sean pulls up. They have a picnic in a field. "Here I am," she declares to the cameras, "about to introduce this man that I have fallen into love with. To my family."

AshLee says her dad is a pastor. Sean talks about how his dad is a preacher in his church. They smile and kiss. "You should be pretty confident in what we have," he tells her.

She confesses: "Today is huge. I have never brought home someone that I am madly, deeply in love with, so truth be told - it's terrifying!" And "my parents' approval is extremely important to me."

They sit outside at a table in the sun, and AshLee's dad wants to know everything that has gone on. AshLee talks about the polar bear plunge swim and says they went to St. Croix, adding, "You'll have to forgive me; there was a lot of romance."

Then it's grillin' time. No, not food. Mom Deborah confesses to the cameras that AshLee's "eyes show she's madly in love. But hearts are fragile. ... I want somebody that will give 100% of himself to her." She takes Sean away to sit by the house and chat. "What are your intentions for AshLee? Are you going to break her heart?"

"No, ma'am," says Sean. "It's certainly not my intention."

Deborah says that AshLee had been in five foster homes in one year when she came to live with them, so, yes, she's got some abandonment issues. "You better not break her heart!" says Mom.

When it's dad Bruce's turn, Sean tells him, "I'm crazy about your daughter. I see that love is on the horizon."

Says Bruce, "Probably good thing you live in Dallas, if you don't pick her. I won't have to be bumpin' into ya."

They rejoin AshLee and Deborah, and Bruce then recalls when he and his wife first met AshLee. They had foster-parented 16 kids. AshLee was 4 at the time. She had a cast on her hand and was mad, says Bruce. "Right away I looked at her and said, 'This one's going to be really hard to give back.' The moment I saw her, I had a connection, and I loved her." He starts crying.

As the sun sets, AshLee says, "I want to marry this man. Like, the second we can. We're in love. I don't want to wait." They kiss. They hug. "Today has been magical," she says. "It's like there's pixie dust everywhere."

Note: If AshLee isn't Sean's final pick, get ready for major heartbreak.

Second date: Catherine in Seattle. Immediately, they smile. Sean picks her up and kisses her. "When I'm with Catherine, I can see my wife," he tells the cameras. They roam around the Pike Place Market.

"I like the way he looks at me. I like the way he makes me giggle all the time," says Catherine. "I love the way he smells. I love his big, beefy arms, and I love the way that he accepts me for who I am -- in every way."

She says he'll meet her mom (who can be "intimidating"), her Grandma Lola (she tells him to put grandma's hand to his forehead in Filipino tradition to win her over), and sisters Monica and India.

They sip wine, and Sean puts on an apron to help make lumpia. Catherine goes into the bedroom with her sisters and gushes to them about Sean. But they don't seem to be buying it. "Can you see yourself with him?" they ask. "If he proposes at the end, I'd say, yeah, I'd want to try this out." The sisters are questioning her, and she feels defensive.

The sisters talk to Sean and tell him that he needs to be able to "handle her moods" and that she's "messy."

Catherine's mom tells Sean, "I don't want anybody to get hurt. I don't want my daughter to get hurt. As much as I can, I want Catherine to stay true to herself." Sean tells her that he thinks "the world" of Catherine. Mom warns him not to lead her on. He wants her blessing in case he decides to propose, and she replies, "We'll see what happens."

Catherine says the night left her kind of "nervous."

Third date: Lindsay in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. She's a military brat, she explains, and family "means everything." First they walk around her "sleepy little town."

Sean confesses that he "loves" Lindsay's "youthful energy." She confesses that she could "definitely see us settling down and raising a family here." They have a beer and stop for a cupcake. They kiss all the time. Sean asks her what to call her dad, "general or mister?" She doesn't know the answer. "Call him Mark!" she says.

Then it's time to meet Lindsay's two-star general dad, her mom and her brother. "If my dad didn't like Sean, I think it would be a deal-breaker," Lindsay confesses. She tells the family how she wore a wedding dress the night she met Sean. Lindsay's mom, Lisa, thinks it's hilarious.

Lisa takes Sean away for some private time. "I'm crazy about your daughter," he tells her. She demands, "Are you falling in love with Lindsay?" He replies, "I'm not in a position to say that right now." He adds that when he says that, it means he's ready to spend the rest of his life with her. Lisa likes his answer. "It's honest. He's not going to share those type of words with anyone. ... That really told me a lot about him."

Lisa and Sean hit it off just fine.

Then it's time to talk to dad. "My biggest concern is that somehow this thing ends where Lindsay gets hurt," Mark says. Sean replies, "I'm crazy about Lindsay." He asks for Mark's blessing if he decides to propose to her later. "That's kind of tough. I don't know. I don't think I've ever been asked a tougher question in my life." He finally says, "You have my blessing." Then he adds, "As long as Lindsay says yes, you have my blessing."

Mark then gives Sean some dog tags with Army values words on them, including "honor, duty and personal courage." Before Sean leaves, Lindsay tells him, "I'm definitely falling in love with you." And they do some more slurpy kissing.

Last date: Desiree in L.A. He says their "connection" has grown since Day 1. She's wearing yoga pants and a tank top, and they take a hike before heading to her house to get dinner ready for her family.

There's a knock on the door, and a guy comes in and hugs her. "What are you doing here?" she says. Mystery man asks that the cameras be turned off. "Des, I love you, OK? I've been texting, calling. Where the hell have you been?" She says, "I've been busy." He goes on to say that they've been together for two years. "And all of a sudden, nothing! I love you more than anything."

Sean's a little bewildered and a little ticked. He tells the guy to leave. "Your family's OK with this?" mystery man says to Des. She says, "Yes." Then finally, she turns to Sean and says, "I do have to tell you something - gotcha!" The guy is "Nick, an actor." Desiree was getting Sean back for the prank he pulled on their first date.

"You got me better than I got you," he tells her, and they laugh about it.

Finally Desiree's family - mom Roxanne, dad Tony and brother Nate - arrive. Roxanne says her daughter is "glowing." They go in the bedroom and talk about how cute Sean is, while Sean and Tony chat outside. "I think he'd be a great son-in-law," Tony confesses. Brother Nate is the one who isn't into the whole thing. "I'm thinking like, this is not going to work," Nate tells Des. "This is stupid, almost. I know you're ready. I don't want it to be with the wrong dude."

He takes Sean outside to say, "I believe that she's really into you. But you're not into her. I don't think that reciprocation is there."

No, says Sean, "it's hasn't been laid on my heart yet." He adds, "I'm sorry you picked up on those vibes though."

Nate doesn't quit, calling him a "playboy."

Sean says he doesn't like hearing that, and they go back inside. Things are tense. Desiree tells Nate, "I know you're skeptical," but she wants him to stop with the attitude. Sean tries to lighten things up but confesses that it would be hard to picture himself in the family. "I'm really disappointed," Desiree says. After Sean leaves, Nate doesn't let up. He tells her, "He is not the one."

He's getting ready for the rose ceremony and confesses that he's not ready to make a decision. He still has questions about Catherine and Des. "I'm confused," he tells host Chris Harrison. He wonders if Catherine "really wants to settle down." And he's concerned about Desiree's brother.

But someone's gotta go.

"As I'm talking right now, I don't know who I'm going to say goodbye to," he says before handing out his flowers. Just as he is about to begin, Desiree asks to talk to him. They go outside, and she says that she wants to apologize and that her brother was "rude." He says, "It's OK."

Roses go to AshLee and Lindsay.

One left.

Who will get it?!?

He puts the rose down and leaves the room. Cameras follow him. "I'm having a hard time here," he tells Harrison.

"My advice: Get this right," says Harrison.

"It comes down to who will I miss the most tomorrow morning," Sean ultimately decides.

"Catherine," he says. She happily accepts the rose.

He walks defeated Desiree out. "I've been battling this all day long," he says to her.

"I feel like I can make you the happiest," she says, weepy. "I feel like you're making a huge mistake. I really do. ... A hundred percent. Not even 99.9! A hundred percent."

"It might be," he finally says.

They hug. She cries and continues to plead. "It's not right. It's not."

He stands in the driveway looking at his shoes a long time after the limo has left. Inside the car, Des cries. "I don't know what I'm going to do about my life. ... All I want to do is make someone happy. Oh, Sean, I don't want to say goodbye."

Tomorrow: A special Sean Tells All episode. And next Monday: Overnight dates in Thailand.